Improvement in apparatus for treating offal



p llNiTEn STATES PATENT .EEicEC ADAM \V. LOUTll, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLYANIA.

Specification forming` part of Letters Putt nt No. 417.027., dated March i315, 1865.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Anlxn W. Loo'rn, ot' Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented a certain Apparatus for Treating Animal Oli'al, and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention consists of apparatus, fully described hereinafter, whereby the carcasses of animals, bones, &c., can be economically treated prior to being converted into fertilizers or employed for other purposes, without infecting the neighborhood in which the ap paratus is situated with noxious vapors.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation.

On reference to the accompanying draw ings, which form a part ot this specification, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of my improved apparatus for treating animal ottal; Fig. 2, a section on the line 1 2, Fig. l, looking in the direction of the arrow 5 and Fig. 3 a plan view.

Similar letters referto similar parts throughout the several views.

A is an oblong building, the stone or brick walls of which support a tlat roof, and from one end or side of thelatter an inclined plane extends to the ground. At one side of the building A is a somewhat smaller building, B, the top C of which isinelined, as shown in Fig 2. At one end of this building Bis an oven, D, -which is heated by means ot' a suitable fire-place, the communication between the oven and the building B being closed by doors E. The opposite end of the building B is also closed by means of folding doors F.

At the end ofthe building A, near the oven D, is a chimney, G, which has two tlues, a and a', the former having at its lower end a replace and communicating through an opening, l), with the interior ofthe building B and through au opening b', with the interior of the oven D.

At one side of the building B, and communicating with the interior ot' the same, is a fan, X, for a purpose described hereinafter.

Through the top C of the building B project the lower ends of two boilers, H and H',

and in each et" the same turns a spindle, ,to which are attached a number of blades or stirrers, (l, and at thc lower end of the boiler H is a tube, a", in which is an ordinary throttlc-valve, c, the lower end of the tube being closed by a movable door or gate, e. In tLe bottom ot' the boiler Il, which is ot' wood, is an opening to which is adapted a door er gate, e.

A steam-pipe, I, Fig. 3, communicates with each ofthe boilers H and Il at the top ofthe same, through two branch pipes, fand f, and with the bottom through a branch, f, and from the opposite side ot' each boiler projects a pipe, g, which communicates with a closed reservoir, J. At the side ot'thebuilding B are two oblong tanks, K and K, with each of which communicates a pipe, y, extending from the lower part of each boiler, and from each tank extends a pipe, 7L, which communicates with a culvert emptyinginto any adjacent stream or culvert. From the side ot' each tank a pipe, z', projects into the interior of the building B, and is furnished with a cock for a purpose described hereinafter.

A ilue, L, communicates with the chimney G, and also with the tank K, and into this tine projects the end of a pipe, j, extending from the top of the reservoir J. From the bottom of this reservoir a pipe, h', extends into the culvert with which the pipes h communicate. A pipe, l, also extends from the bottom of the boiler H into the samev culvert.

Within the building B are two tracks on which run the trucks M and N, the former being provided with one or more shallow trays, m. The truck N has side pieces, a, in which turn the ends of a shaft, o, and to the latter is hung a frame, O, on which are a series of parallel ledges, p. 0n these ledges bear the wheels attached to one or more trays, q, the said trays having projections r for a purpose described hereinafter.

To an upright, a', at the front end ot' the truck N, is attached one end of a spring, s, which has an inclined lower end and an abrupt shoulder, the latter, when the frame O is in a horizontal position, catching a pin, t, on the freine. To the spring is secured a rod,

a, by means vof which the shoulder of the spring may be removed from contact with the pin t.

In the bottom of the oven, at the end of the track 011 which the truck N runs, is an opening, which is situated directly above the hopper of a bone-grinding mill.

A file is kindled in the i'urnace of the oven D, and also in the fire-place at the bottom of the chimney-due a, and the doors E and F are cl sed.

It should be undtrstood that the boil( r Il, is of sufficient size to treat ofl'al in bulk-as, for instance, the carcasses oi' horses or cows.

When oft'al or bones are to be treated, they are introduced into the iron boiler H, which is filled with water, and steam is admitted to the same through the pipef", the contents of the boiler being thereby quickly heated.

As the fatty iluid accumulates on the surface of the liquid in the boiler, a current of steam is admitted through the pipesj' and f', and, passing out through the pipe g, carries the fat with 1t into the latter pipe and into the reservoir J, the steam escaping from the latter through the pipej into the iiue L.

After the fat has been removed, steam, at about forty pounds pressure per square inch, is admitted into the boiler, and the bones, sinews, Sie., thereby softened, and the gelatinous matter in the saine extracted. The gelatinous solution is then discharged through the pipe y into the tank K'. The truck N. is then brought beneath the boiler, the gate e' is opened, and the valve e is turned, so as to permit the bones to fall onto the lowest ofthe trays g on the truck, the upper trays having been removed. When this tray is filled, another is placed on the neXt highest pair of ledges, p, and filled in a similar manner. Vhen all the bones are removed, the boiler is closed, the truck is run forward into the oven D, andthe truck M is brought beneath the end of the pipe i, the cock of which is turned so that the gelatiuous solution in the tank K' may run into the tray m. The truck M is then also run into the oven D, the doors E being subsequently closed, and the oven mainT tained at such a heat as will thoroughly dry both the glue and the bones. When the bones are perfectly dry, the frame O ofthe truck N is tilted to the position shown in Fig. l, so as to discharge the contents of the trays through the opening X' into the hopper of a grindingmill below.

When there is a large amount of animal matter adhering to the bones, or when the latter are not to be used as a fertilizing material, they may be introduced into and boiled in the wooden boiler H'. In this instance, however, the steam is not maintained at so high a pressure in the boiler, but in other respects the operation is similar to that carried on with the boiler H.

When it is not desired to preserve the glutinous matter extracted from the bones, it may be discharged from the tanks K, through the pipes h, directly into a culvert. The refuse water from the tank K', and that in the boiler H', may also be discharged into the culvert through suitable pipes.

When substances which do not require to be ground are treated in either ofthe boilers, they are discharged onto the truck M, and after being perfectly dried iu the oven D are removed without being discharged through the opening X'.

It is well-known that in boiling bones7 oft'al, Ste, in the ordinary manner, the fumes which escape into the atmosphere are so noxious that an establishment for such a purpose is generally considered a nuisance.

My object has been to treat such material expeditiously and cheaply, and at the same time effectually prevent the escape into the air of any vapors generated during the operation.

lt will be seen that in the above-described apparatus whatever vapors or gases may be generated, either in the building B, the oven D, or in the boilers or tanks, are either carried to the iiuc a., where they are et't'ectuall y burned and deprived of their offensive properties, or they are discharged into the culvert.

By the use of the fan X, such a circulation of fresh airis maintained in the buildin gB that the attendants within the same are notiucommoded during the operation.

Although I have shown two boilers, H and H', but one boiler may be used, the wooden boiler H' being preferred as much the cheapest, when it is not necessary to subject the material to any considerable steam-pressure.

It will be apparent that, by means of the inclined plane leading to the roof of the building A, the dead horses and other animal oifal, Sac., collected from a city, may be hauled in scavengers carts directly to the boilers.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. One or more boilers, H and H', with their gates or doors, in combination with the building B, oven D, chimney G, and its fire-place, the whole being arranged substantially as described, so that the fumes generated by the treatment of the oft'al shall, before escaping to the air, be thoroughly burned and disinfected.

2. The closed building B, with its trucks M and N, in combination with one or more boilers, H and H', and the oven D.

3. The boilers Hcombined with the reservoir J, andthe steampipes f, f' and g, or their equivaleuts, arranged substantially as set forth, so that the fat rising to the surface of the water in the boiler shall be discharged into the reservoir.

4. The tanks K, with their discharge-pipe t', arranged in respect to the building' B and boilers H, substantially as specified.

5. The truck N, with its tiltiu g frame o and trays q, constructed and operating substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof l have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

W'itnesses: ADAM W. LOUTII.

,HARLEs E. Fosrnn, JOHN Wiri'rn. 

